delboy

30 passengers in the compartment, all were robbed, yet only 2,500THB was stolen.  That's only just over 80THB per person.

Despite me sending Trendy an E-mail saying that I shall collect my passport this coming Wednesday, I have just received a call from them asking when I shall be calling to collect my passport. The right hand.....

So, I noted the phone number they used. If it's helpful to someone, the number was 021-687394

When Trendy called you to ask when you will collect your passport seams to indicate that they did not receive the email, or not read the email.

On the other hand, for security reason they might not accept an email about collecting the passport and want to receive a phone call instead.

A bit negative, are the passport employees at Trendy British or Thai.

Their email to inform me that the passport is ready for collection contained the line

"Please send an email to HMPO Bangkok Centre to confirm collection of the passport."

This I did, so they didn't bother to read it. Not unexpected.

Despite me sending Trendy an E-mail saying that I shall collect my passport this coming Wednesday, I have just received a call from them asking when I shall be calling to collect my passport. The right hand.....

So, I noted the phone number they used. If it's helpful to someone, the number was 021-687394

I finally received notification that my passport is ready for collection (applied May 7th). I was told, when applying, that no appointment was necessary when collecting, but the following statement was in my e-mail.

I would be grateful if you could advise when you wish to collect the passport. Our opening days and hours are as follows:

Monday to Friday / 08.30 hours to 15.00 hours..

Please send an email to HMPO Bangkok Centre to confirm collection of the passport.

We need an exact time and date.

Their command of the English language seems to have improved. I'll collect it next Wednesday.

The UK government website says this about paying tax on the State Pension

You may have to pay UK tax on your State Pension if you live abroad. This will depend on:

• your taxable income
• whether you’re classed as a ‘UK resident’ or ‘non-UK resident’ for tax purposes

The rules are the same as for people living in the UK - you’ll only pay tax if your taxable income is over a certain amount.

Non-UK residents don’t pay UK tax on their State Pension but may pay tax in the country they live in. But if you live in a country without a 'double taxation agreement' you’ll have to pay UK tax and may be taxed in the country you live in as well.

https://www.gov.uk/state-pension-if-you-retire-abroad/tax-on-your-state-pension

So, if the allowance is withdrawn because we are 'Non-UK Residents', then surely we can choose to pay tax in Thailand.

Progress at last. I made my weekly phone call to the helpline a few minutes ago. At first they told me that the "progress room" was busy, and that they would send me an e-mail in a few days. I said I was prepared to wait, so can they retry. The second time, I was put through to the "progress room" and answered more security questions including my address as entered on the application form. Eventually they told me the passport was printed last Saturday and would be sent by DHL to Trendy. No information if it had already been dispatched. 10 weeks today since I visited Trendy.

I'm sure that some applications are dealt with fairly quickly, and a number, at random, are given a more thorough examination. As I was applying for my third passport from the same address without leaving Thailand on the previous 2 passports, I had assumed my renewal would be a straightforward process, maybe it was average, only time will tell. I also don't believe that applications are dealt with on a strict "first come" basis.

When I receive notification from Trendy, I'll let you know,

15 minutes on skype, about 14 baht, excellent call quality.

I just phoned the helpline regarding my application which was handed in on at Trendy on May 7th, with the money being taken on May 12th. Time from application 9 weeks.

Martin gave me an application number, and he stated that my application had gone through several stages of examination, so far with no problems, and he expected, by experience, that it should be sent for printing later this week. He said that it was taking, on average about 10-14 days from being sent to the printers to arriving at Trendy. He further said that current estimated time from receiving the money to finishing printing was about 9 weeks.

If it's the Martin I had before (Northern Irish Accent), I found him to be very helpful and straight - he seems to work for HMPO, not the call centre and can give you lots of info on your application, whereas most operators seem to know almost nothing

However, yet more confirmation of the 10 weeks delay from application to collection - truly ghastly service indeed.

Yes, that's the guy, Irish accent. Very helpful indeed, and he had all the information in front of him. Last week I was told they had to contact the "Progress section". Perhaps only some of the operators have the authority to view the data. I'll phone again next week.

I just phoned the helpline regarding my application which was handed in on at Trendy on May 7th, with the money being taken on May 12th. Time from application 9 weeks.

Martin gave me an application number, and he stated that my application had gone through several stages of examination, so far with no problems, and he expected, by experience, that it should be sent for printing later this week. He said that it was taking, on average about 10-14 days from being sent to the printers to arriving at Trendy. He further said that current estimated time from receiving the money to finishing printing was about 9 weeks.

If tax allowances for expats were to be abolished, would it be possible for us to choose to be taxed under the Thai income tax instead of the UK system?

It is certainly the case with SWIFT transfers from a UK bank that if transferred in Sterling, the rate is always a lot lower than the TT rate. Whether, as they say, the UK pensions people get a better rate by buying in bulk, I don't know, but it is very near to the current TT rate.

Last month, the TT rate on the day I received my pension was 54.98. Using the gross amount, before the bank took it's commision, the rate was 55.07, and the rate on the net amount that I received was 54.95.

DB -thanks for the reply - I transfer my main pension to Thailand in (GBP) and always get the TT rate -less the 0.25%

min 200 max 500 Baht. Your reply said the opposite so I think that was incorrect.

I wonder if they send GBP to Citibank Thailand and they then send it in Baht to your account.?

I said that if money is transfered in Sterling/GBP then the bank will give you the TT rate less the 0.25% min 200 max 500 baht, if the transfer is in Baht they charge 0.1% plus 100 Baht. This, as I said, is my experience at Bangkok Bank, other banks may have a different policy.

It is certainly the case with SWIFT transfers from a UK bank that if transferred in Sterling, the rate is always a lot lower than the TT rate. Whether, as they say, the UK pensions people get a better rate by buying in bulk, I don't know, but it is very near to the current TT rate.

Last month, the TT rate on the day I received my pension was 54.98. Using the gross amount, before the bank took it's commision, the rate was 55.07, and the rate on the net amount that I received was 54.95.

I think you'll that most, if not all, Thai banks charge a fee of .25% to receive money from overseas, most have a minimum charge of 200-300 Baht and a cap of 500 Baht.

The fee is taken before the funds are credited and are not shown as a stand alone charge.

In the case of Bangkok Bank, the charge you are quoting only applies to transfers into the account in Sterling. Just last week I enqured at my Bangkok Bank Branch and asked to see the transfer documents for my latest Pension transfer (in Baht) and my latest SWIFT transfer from my UK Bank (in Sterling).

For the transfer in Baht they charge a commission of 0.1% and a flat charge of 100 baht per transfer.

If in doubt, just go to your local branch and ask to see the Credit Note/Receipt Set for your transfer. It takes them only a few seconds to print it out, and it's free. It shows the amount transferred in, and the charges deducted.

Well, I don't sweat it out at Immigration. I went last week for my 90 Day report, in and out in 5 minutes, and my visa extension rarely takes more than an hour, most of which is spent sat outside with a couple of cups of coffee.

My 90 Day report was the same as it usually is, no barcode checking. In fact my passport doesn't have a barcode to check, apart from the one that Immigration stapled on a few years ago. Hand-written receipt, and the only thing new was the amount of rubber stamps he used. I counted 7 different ones.

My pension is paid in Baht directly to my Bangkok Bank account in Thailand. I don't know the form of transfer, but it is always credited to my account on the Friday that it is due.

Bangkok Bank charge a flat fee of 100 Baht plus 0.1% of the amount. Even allowing for this, the exchange rate is still very good, compared to the T/T rate on the day, despite the fact that is transfered in Baht.

I have a Samsung smartphone, but not the same model that you have, and I have found that pressing and holding the button at the bottom, that displays the menu, will give you a list of all the apps that you have open. So, after you copy something, press and hold the button, then touch the app you want to paste into.

Like you, I'm not getting any younger, and I took the plunge, moving from a very basic mobile to a smartphone earlier this year. It was very daunting at first, but a couple of hours spent reading the manual and trying things on the phone at the same time, worked wonders.

You can download a detailed user manual pdf file in English for the Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 from

http://www.samsung.com/levant/support/model/SM-G7102ZWAMID-downloads

I'm not worrying, just concerned that, until I receive my new passport, some hitch may arise with my application. I posted on here just as information for others caught up in this mess.

In my case, my current passport expires in June 2015, and my visa extension is to November 2014. If I apply for a further 1 year extension in November on my current passport, I will only be given an extension up to the date my passport expires. Then, once I receive a new passport, I will have to apply for a 1 year extension in June 2015.

If I apply for my extension on my new passport (assuming it arrives before November) then I should get a full 1 year visa extension to November 2015.

I had originally decided to apply to Liverpool by mail in July, until the new system was introduced. I then decided not to wait, but to apply in May. Under the circumstances, I'm glad I did.

So, unless I need to leave the country, I should have no serious problem, just the stress of the unknown.

If only they had a tracking system in place, so that we could just check online to see where our application is in the grand scheme, it would surely save HMPO being swamped with phone calls. Even an automated E-Mail system to send off notifications as the application passed through the system would fit the bill, say "Passport Received, payment deducted" "Passport under examination" "Passport sent for printing" "Passport dispatched". At least we would know what was happening.

I submitted my application to Trendy on May 7th, payment was taken on May 12th. I just phoned the helpline to check on the progress and was told it's "under examination". They say that it is currently taking 7-8 weeks from the date of payment until it is sent to the printers, and then 10-14 days before it reaches Bangkok. I was advised to phone again next week to check progress.

It's been over 7 weeks for me since the payment date, and still "under examination.

I am not pushed for time, my visa extension is not due until November, but I just want to get the whole thing over with.

I have the Gold package and Channel 668 is currently displaying information in Thai and English regarding coverage. It says all live matches will be shown on channel 668 in HD and channel 99 in SD. Concurrent matches 23rd June-26th June will be shown on Channel 678 HD.

There are details on www.facebook.com/truevisions

I emailed them requesting an appointment to renew my sons passport yesterday at 6.55pm, and I have just received an email back

confirming my appointment for the 1st July!

I kept the email simple and my 3 dates were;

23/06/14

30/06/14

01/07/14

Thanks

You should confirm that the office is open on July 1st, I understand it is a bank holiday.

Another point on looking forward. Attached to my receipt was a URL which I have looked up. It is a beta website for online passport applications. The interesting thing is that on the first page there is a country box with a drop down menu. If you select Thailand and then next, the next page tells you that the service is not available in that country.

Indications are that it could become available in the future, big question is how long? Not that it will be of any benefit to me, I think that I have just applied for my last passport.

The real benefit of the online service comes from the online tracking facility.

When I read this, I re-checked my receipt, and found that they state the Passport Collection time as Monday-Friday 8.30-15.00.

This is different from the times I was told at the office which were 10.00-16.00. So I think it would be safe to assume 10.00-15.00 would be OK.

The URL is https://passportapplication.service.gov.uk/ips-olc/

I handed my application in on 7th May, and the fee was deducted from my account on 13th May. At Trendy I was told that the cost was 101.01 Pounds, and that's the amount I entered on my authorisation form, but the amount deducted was 102.86. I'm sure they have a random number generator somewhere. That's another obstacle out of the way.

Flew down from Chiang Mai this morning and back this evening.

My appointment was for 2pm, but I arrived at the office at 10am. A long queue, and I asked if they could process me early. I was told to return at 1.15. Returned at 12.45 and joined a somewhat smaller queue. I was sent to HMPO counter number 11.

A lady, who spoke good English, checked my papers, told me the cost was 101.01 Pounds, and gave me a receipt showing what papers I had submitted. She said to expect a 1-2 month wait, and they would telephone or email me when the passport was ready. They will hold the passport there for 1 month, but did not say what happened after that time.

She also confirmed that I could appoint somebody else to collect the passport, I have to give them a letter of authorisation. No appointment necessary for collection, anytime from 10am to 4pm Mon-Fri.

A long, and tiring day, but all worked out OK.

Hope this is a help to someone.

As I stated in an earlier post, I have a Certificate of Residence from Thai Immigration and a certified translation of it, but, as I said, the Immigration Officer noted that it was for a passport application, and said it was valid inside Thailand only.

My driving licence, which was issued in 1995 is still valid, as it is a lifetime driving licence. They ceased to be issued around the year 2000, but the old ones are still valid.